Need A Video Of Mayor Ford Smoking Crack? No Problem – It’s Easy To Make One

PublishedMay 31, 2013

There has been an unbelievable amount of press coverage over an alleged video that purportedly shows Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, smoking crack cocaine. The allegations were originally made on the American website Gawker and almost pathologically jumped on by The Star, Toronto’s largest newspaper and anti-Ford crusaders.

Not long after, Canada’s largest national newspaper the Globe and Mail was out with its own story about the Mayor’s brother, Toronto councilor Doug Ford. Quoting unnamed sources, the Globe alleged that Councilor Ford had been a drug dealer in his younger years.

Since then, it’s been a feeding frenzy of abject stupidity with all kinds of people and media jumping all over the two stories. Everything is examined in minute detail. Why didn’t the Mayor sue The Star? Why are so many of his staff leaving his office? Every new detail becomes one more piece of ‘pseudo’ evidence that he is guilty.

But even if he isn’t, his attackers have almost achieved their objective. Guilty or not, they have succeeded in turning Toronto City politics into a circus sideshow for which the Mayor is being blamed. There’s nice work if you can get it.

Even the new Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, has come out with dire warnings that if the issue isn’t resolved soon, she is prepared to take action. It’s unfortunate the Premier isn’t as resolved to take action on the corruption within her own party and give the people an opportunity to vote for or against her program.

In the end, however, it all hinges on that video. Two Star reporters claim to have seen it. They viewed it on a mobile device in the back seat of a car. I hope they practiced safe viewing because they certainly weren’t practicing professional journalism.

There is a difference between what is and wanting desperately for something to be the truth. There was never an attempt to corroborate this story by either Gawker or The Star. They saw the video, which unfortunately is no longer available it seems, and that was absolute proof of the Mayor’s guilt.

Or was it?

For his part, the Mayor has denied that the video exists because he denies that he has ever smoked crack but let’s assume for a moment that The Star’s crack investigative reporting team (I know bad pun but deal with it) actually did see a video that showed Rob Ford smoking crack. Let’s also assume that they wouldn’t lie about something like that.

Does the existence of that video actually prove that the Mayor was caught on video smoking crack cocaine?

Watch this short video and decide for yourself whether or not the Mayor was caught smoking crack on video.

It’s that easy. We live in an era of special effects and computerized graphics. Photographs are doctored and manipulated repeatedly. Facebook is full of PhotoShoped images and our movies ignore reality by using special effects and video editing to make all kinds of unbelievable things believable.

Want someone to fly through the air? No problem in Iron Man, Superman or any one of dozens of other movies. Need someone to morph into a wolf? That can easily be done – out on Highway 61 as Bob Dylan sang once.

In other words, you can’t necessarily believe your eyes when it comes to some photographs or videos; they’re just too easily manipulated these days and it doesn’t take a well-trained professional. Even I can manipulate photos and have for my own amusement in the past. All it takes is the right software and a bit of practice.

If there was ever an era when we needed objective journalism willing to hold publishing stories until they had corroborating evidence; it’s this one. Unfortunately, ‘gotcha’ journalism is quickly eroding the professional standards of too many media outlets these days.

For the record, I have no idea if Toronto Mayor Rob Ford did or did not smoke crack cocaine. I don’t know if a video purporting to show him smoking crack actually exists or existed and if does or did, I don’t know if it is authentic or manufactured.

Neither do the people at Gawker or The Star’s intrepid reporter.

This entire sordid mess is based entirely on what is presented as a poor screen capture from the video and some uncorroborated ‘he sid / she said’ by three or four people. While I appreciate that it has become almost common place these days to simply say whatever pops into our heads without regard for verification of the truth of it or not, this has gone beyond the pale.

Like I said, I have no idea if the mayor did or didn’t smoke crack or if there is or is not a video showing him doing so. Until it has been corroborated, I would suggest nobody else does either.

Videos notwithstanding,I find it very worrisome that Ford has not crushed the speculation about his drug abuse, by undergoing a simple toxicology screening ,just like every employee at the Alberta Tar Sands has to before being hired.

About ten minutes in a doctor;’s office,and the whole issue would be put to rest once and for all.

In Ford’s place,I’d have done that the day the story about the video surfaced,but then I DO NOT smoke crack or use any other illegal drugs,so have nothing to worry about from that perspective.

I wonder of Ford does.

MaggiesBear

As I indicated in the post, I don’t know if he does or he doesn’t do drugs or if he ever did. He’s not one of my favourite politicians, I think he has some good ideas but lacks the finesse to get more support for them and rally make a difference in Toronto but I believe that is up to the people of Toronto to decide, not a newspaper or political enemies with an almost pathological desire to oust him from office.

My issue is that this war on Rob Ford has crossed the line into an area that is undemocratic.

As for Ford going to a doctor’s office. I don’t know if that would or wouldn’t prove anything. It’s my understanding that evidence of drugs leave your system within a matter of a few days. But why should he have to? To my mind, that’s like demanding the rape victim prove she wasn’t raped. He’s been accused of something without any real evidence. It shouldn’t be up to him to prove he’s innocent, it should be up to his accusers t provide verified corroborating evidence of the truth of their accusation.

It’s what our entire system is based upon except, apparently, in Toronto.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=650582510 Don Morris

No,evidence of cocaine or crack will remain in the system ,especially the liver for a month or more.

It isn’t at all like a rape victim having to prove anything.Assertions have been made,and Ford can defeat his enemies in one simple test.

By letting this show go on,Ford is doing the citizens of Ontario a disservice,as the media are concentrating on this stupid story instead of the Ontario Liberal government and their machinations regarding the power stations.

MaggiesBear

I don’t disagree with you but all of the criticism is directed at Ford for not doing something to try and stop the circus. In fact, he has many times but it doesn’t stop, it just continues. He’s in for more than $1 million in legal fees as it is. I think it’s time for people to start putting some of the blame where it belongs. If everyone who thought that the Star was wrong to print an uncorroborated story were to cancel their subscription — that just might calm things down in a hurry.

Money talks. BS walks.

I’ll take your word about how long drugs stay in the system. I have no idea other than I can only seem to keep coffee in my system for about 2 hours.

Make no mistake,I detest the Star for what they are doing to Ford and the Conservative cause. They are the worst of the Canadian MSM.I’d just like Ford to prove he wasn’t doing crack,and sue their asses off.

MaggiesBear

I don’t disagree with you, I’m just more fed up with how our political systems, government and media are being turned into circus freak shows by a bunch of self-serving hypocrites. Kathleen Wynne has had quite a bit to say about Rob Ford but has been silent about Mayor Joe Fontana of London who is currently facing charges of fraud and may face additional charges for embezzlement from a charity. But then, Fontana is a Liberal which means that neither Wynne nor the Star will demand his resignation.

P Hanson

What an interesting perspective. You should try talking to adults to expand your range of realistic fantasy.

MaggiesBear

Let me guess. A Liberal? A Star employee? or perhaps you’re just one of the tragically self-absorbed elite wanna bes? Maybe a bit of all three. You certainly have the childish effete arrogance of all three. It’s unfortunate you don’t put as much time into actually thinking as you do into trying to be clever.

Reading expert opinion or any opinion for that mater isn’t the same as absorbing what is being said. The point of my post is that nobody has verified whether or not the video is real because nobody has seen it except for a couple of reporters who claim they’ve seen it. This post demonstrates that a video can be faked and your link states the same thing. Your link also points out that it isn’t easy to pull off a fake which is undetectable which I agree with. The fact that the video is no longer available is suggestive of the fact that it might not stand up to forensic scrutiny.

Whatever the truth is, nobody knows for sure because the video, if it exists, hasn’t been seen or tested for veracity. That hasn’t stopped the media, in particular The Star from leveling allegations it can’t substantiate against the Mayor and from turning the City of Toronto into a circus freak show once again.

This post isn’t a defense of Rob Ford. It’s a criticism of that kind of yellow journalism that should have no place in Canadian society.

Roy

this is a fake I saw the guy on BT show you how a fake rob ford video was made

MaggiesBear

I know it’s a fake. That’s the point. It shows how easy it is to make a fake video.